Adventures in Forty-Five :: My 1st Colonoscopy
Forty-five is one of those years that signals a few things. You are halfway to fifty. Your body’s check engine light pops on. And it’s the year you get a colonoscopy. By definition, a colonoscopy is a medical procedure involving the endoscopic examination of the large bowel/colon and the distal portion of the small bowel. This purpose is to provide a visual diagnosis via inspection of the internal lining of the colon wall, which may identify issues such as ulcers, precancerous polyps, and to enable the opportunity for biopsy or the removal of suspected colorectal cancer lesions.
When you mention colonoscopy to anyone that has had the procedure, they all say the same thing :: the procedure itself is not bad, it’s the prep leading up to it that is bad.
This statement is so true!
I decided to schedule my colonoscopy for a Monday morning, Lundi Gras to be exact. Since I am not a fan of Mardi Gras, I didn’t really care about missing the weekend festivities. My prep started on Friday with eating a low fiber diet to reduce the amount of undigested food in my colon. I avoided dairy products, and liquids with red or purple dies. I continued this into Saturday. Saturday evening, I drank a bottle of Magnesium Citrate. I got the lemon flavor and put it in a pretty glass to romanticize the experience. I also had the option of taking laxatives. Needless to say, a few hours later things really got moving!
The next day I was tired. It was a long night of trips to the bathroom. That day began my clear liquid diet. I drank lots and lots of water to ensure I stayed hydrated along with Powerade for electrolytes. I also “ate” chicken broth, green Jello, and lemon lime popsicles. Also on this day, I had to drink a prescribed concoction. I had to mix a liquid solution with water and drink it within an hour. Two hours after that, I had to drink another one of those concoctions. There was no way to romanticize this drink! It was NASTY! It was yet another sleepless night.
The next morning, I was ready to go. I could not eat or drink anything. I don’t remember much about the procedure, other than it was the best sleep I have had in a while. It was all very quick, less than thirty minutes. I went home to sleep off the meds and was finally able to eat. I was so happy!
While this was absolutely an experience, it was necessary to ensure that I am healthy. Like our yearly pap smears and mammograms, we must have this routine procedure done.
